Walker Artwork of the Month – May 2006

According to Greek legend the Danaids were the fifty daughters of King Danaus, who was in conflict with his brother Aegyptos, father of fifty sons. The sons demanded to marry the daughters and in revenge Danaus ordered his daughters to kill their bridegrooms on their wedding night. As a result of their crimes, the Danaids were sentenced to the underworld where their punishment was the futile task of perpetually trying to fill leaky jugs with water. In his sculpture Auguste Rodin represented one of the Danaid in tearful frustration, water streaming from her broken jar, as her despairing, but graceful, figure mimics the contours of the rock over which she lies slumped.More…